Not Without You
by TheSoundofMusic
Summary: Unrequited love is such a painful thing...but what if it wasn't unrequited? Friendships can grow to something more; but what?


**I felt bad because I did a oneshot for every bachelor except Kana and Dirk...so here's Kana's, and then I'll get up Dirk's later XD Also, working on another big story, but probably won't post more for awhile now that school's back in session (boo...)**

**Well...enjoy :) **

* * *

_Lillian_

I'm working on my morning chores when I hear a knock from the doorway of the barn. I turn to look at my visitor, wondering who it could be this early when I out of the corner of my eye I catch a flash of orange before I'm sent flying into the hay.

Laughing, I prop myself up on my elbows and smile at the grinning boy who stands over my disheveled form. He just laughs at me mockingly before offering me a hand up. Rather than taking it and pulling myself up, I grab the hand and force him to join me in the hay.

"Someone's not in a good mood this morning," Kana teases me, pinching my cheeks before standing up and shaking the hay out of his brown hair. I just shake my head with another smile before getting up and bumping him aside with my hip so that I can get back to where my horse is waiting for me to brush it, the way I do every morning.

"I'd be in a better mood if I hadn't been tackled into the hay so early in the morning," I answer back, pretending to be offended by his good morning greeting to me. He knows I'm just pretending though; with another laugh, he just walks past me and ruffles my hair as he does so before going to sit on one of the barrels in the corner of my barn.

As he watches me tend to my horse, he leans forward and rests his chin on his hands as he says, "Got any plans tonight?"

My smile twists a little as I know what he's going to suggest. It's going to be the same thing it is nearly every week; we take our horses out and ride them up the mountain to spend an hour talking about horses and how magnificent they are.

I've known Kana for all of a year and still all he ever seems to talk about with me is about horses. Once, he mentioned his father but even then there was still something about horses attached to his story. If I could get his mind of the horses for one second and on ME, I'd be able to figure out whether or not he even sees me as a potential girlfriend.

I pretend to be very absorbed in brushing my animals as I say off-handedly, "I don't know…I mean, I might spend tonight with Hiro. I've been wanting to discuss some books with him for quite awhile now…"

At that, Kana pouts and gets a grumpy look on his face, crossing his arms.

"You don't want to spend a nice summer night cooped up inside a room talking about books," he grumps, while I swallow my laughter and pick up my watering can. As I walk outside, he trails behind me muttering all the way before I turn around and give in.

"Alright," I tell him, "I'll see you tonight then. I suppose my talk with Hiro can wait until later."

* * *

_Kana _

Finally.

I finally got her to agree to come with me on a midnight ride. Normally, she'd agree like it was no big deal but as of late I can tell she doesn't seem as eager to go adventuring with me as she normally does.

It can't be because she's figured me out, right?

I didn't think my crush on her was obvious enough for her to figure out; Lillian's no fool but then again she isn't the most observant of girls either. Sometimes, I seriously worry about her being on her own and taking care of this farm by herself.

It was hard enough for her, those first few days. I can only imagine how much more difficult things will end up being for her if she continues to keep running this place by herself. And that's where I want to come in.

But now that she seems to have picked up on my feelings, it's like she's losing interest in a friendship with me.

I can't help but wonder if it's because she doesn't like me and is trying to distance herself before I say anything about it. I mean, I've been trying my best to cover up any hints that I like her by talking to her about nothing but horses.

I love horses; they're beautiful creatures. Sure, they're not as beautiful as she is, but they're nice all the same and I wanted to share that with her. At least, that was originally what I thought until I kept talking to her and ended up realizing my feelings for her overshadow my feelings about horses.

As I head back towards my shop I shake my head before reaching into my pocket and holding tightly onto the necklace that I've had for weeks now. I've wanted to give it to her for so long, so that even when she goes over to the other town everyone will know that she's mine, but since I can't even manage to tell her I like her that way I've had it for awhile now.

I have to give it to her tonight. I have to tell her everything tonight, even if it means losing her friendship and losing her forever. I'd rather die than not know how she feels about me.

Checking the clock, I groan as I realize it's only now reaching ten in the morning.

It seems I have a ways to go before I get to see her again.

* * *

_Lillian_

When I ride over to his shop, the moon is already high in the sky. The little voice inside my head keeps insisting that nothing whatsoever will happen between the two of us tonight, but my heart seems to urge me to try despite my doubts.

What have I got to lose by taking a midnight ride with him anyways?

I'm surprised though, when I find that his house is dark and the door is locked. When I check in the stable, Hayate is already gone, along with the saddle bag he usually takes along to hold the blanket we sit on.

Could it be he's gone ahead of me?

The idea that I'll have to meet him up there has me excited; it's different from how things usually work. Maybe deciding to go on this ride wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Slinging my leg over my horse, I slide onto its back before urging it into a quiet trot towards the mountain. The air is filled with the sounds of crickets and other bugs chirping and whistling as I briskly pass the waterfall and my horse clops up the mountain.

When I get to the top, sure enough I see that Hayate's already standing there, in the same place Kana always leaves her. Sliding off my horse, I begin to walk up towards the summit when I hear a giggle.

A very familiar giggle at that.

My walking turns into creeping, and soon enough I find that I'm hiding behind some bushes as I watch Kana and Georgia outlined in the moonlight. It can't be that he invited her too?

I'm about to just step out and greet them nonchalantly when Georgia giggles again before moving closer to Kana, who just stands still and watches her.

"Aren't you going to argue with me? Say that your horses are better than mine?" she asks, slowly reaching out to trace the tattoos around his arm with her slender, pale fingers. My own roughened hands grip into fists tightly as I bite my lip at her behavior.

Kana, for all his seriousness, seems extremely flustered by her actions. He shies away from her before turning to look away, saying, "Georgia, now is really not the time to be arguing about stuff. Why did you call me up here anyways? I wanted to spend tonight with Lillian…"

I blush at the statement, silently shooting a "what now" face in Georgia's direction. Georgia smiles prettily, grabbing his hand and murmuring, "You and I have unfinished business, Kana. Did you really think you could move into another relationship when you're still with me?"

He goes to protest, but is silenced when she reaches up to kiss him.

* * *

_Kana_

Ex-girlfriends. Seriously, when is she going to understand that I dumped her for a reason and that I don't plan on getting back with her anytime soon?

Gently, I push her off me and I'm all set to scold her for her actions when I hear a rustle in the bushes. I stride over and part the bushes to see who's spying on us when I'm met by Lillian's hurt expression.

Her violet eyes are wide and on the brim of tears, and she's as pale as a ghost.

She's misunderstanding this whole situation, I know it. I reach out to grab her hand but she jerks away from me before running off the summit, the hurt expression still on her face.

My heart twists painfully, and I go to follow after her when I'm stopped by Georgia's arm.

"Kana, stop. I told you, we have unfinished business to take care of."

I'm unable to stand much more of this any longer; I whirl on Georgia with a ferocious look in my eyes.

"No. We don't. We're over, we've BEEN over, and we are NEVER getting together again. So stop trying, because it's NEVER going to happen." With that, I leave her speechless as I run towards where I left my horse.

When I make it to Lillian's, I'm not surprised to see that all the lights are still on. I all but fall off Hayate as I run to her door, pounding on it frantically.

"Lillian, let me in!" I shout, only to be met with silence. I keep pounding on the door, harder and harder until she finally opens it up, a burning look in her eyes.

"Well, EXCUSE ME!" she shouts, and I blink as I'm taken by surprise at her volume. For such a delicate, tiny girl, she's certainly got quite a voice. "I'm sorry to have interrupted your precious moment with your girlfriend, but I'd like it very much if you stopped inviting me out to do things with you! I don't want to be the girl that you just conveniently hang out with because your girlfriend lives in the other town!"

"She. Is. Not. My. GIRLFRIEND!" I shout back, before grabbing Lillian's waist and leaning down for a kiss.

She freezes at the gesture, and for a second I think that she's about to hit me and scream at me for sexually harassing her before her arms wind around my neck and I find she's kissing me back. And much more forcefully than I'm kissing her.

When she starts to breathe harder, and wriggle a bit underneath me, I realize that I've somehow pushed her up against the doorway. I've got her literally pinned against the door, the wood almost digging into her back while I press into her. I know it's wrong, but the feeling of her skin on mine seems to be more than I can bear.

I pull back for air before looking down into her face, pleased when I see her blushing. To know that it's me that's caused that…I can't even begin to describe how happy that makes me. Before she can question me again on Georgia, I press my forehead to hers and say, "It was a misunderstanding. Georgia and I dated once, yes, but that was long before I met you. We haven't had a relationship in years."

"I thought you'd gone up without me to meet her..." Lillian's voice trails off as I kiss her forehead gently and pull a strand of her hair idly through my fingers. It's soft and smells of her, and the more I touch it the more I find myself wanting to be with her.

"Not without you," I say gruffly, trying to hide any sappiness that might escape, "I couldn't go anywhere without you."

Lillian's eyes say that she's glad to hear that, but she doesn't say anything as she just reaches up and pulls me back down for another kiss.

"You talk to much," she whispers, "But I think I can fix that."


End file.
